The Fevered Mind
by Flutterbycross
Summary: Ezra Fitz is an English professor and aspiring writer. His girlfriend, Aria Montgomery, is a high school senior and his former student. When Ezra is thrust into the spotlight, he thinks making Aria stay home is the safest, therefore best, thing to do. But Aria disagrees. Can she prove it's better with her there? Or is she risking exposure with nothing to gain? PLL is not mine.
1. Let's Live in the Now

**A/N: This is a cute little story that I've been sitting on for awhile. Several of the scenes are written, but it is still missing the connective tissue to bring it together. I'm starting to put it out because I have some readers who are seriously not on board with the Inhibitions serial. I promised not to leave those readers without smut, and I shan't. I don't promise a rate of update on this story. I am in the midst of chaos, trying to deal with the death of a family member. I am still writing and posting because I am an inherently selfish person, and I need reasons to smile and look forward to things even as I am overwhelmed with grief. Sorry for the drama, sorry for missing deadlines on my other stories, and sorry if I bummed you out. I wrote this chapter when I was totally unbummed. Enjoy**

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 **Chapter 1**

Ezra stared at his bed feeling frustrated and dissatisfied. Spread across the bed were 4 of his dress shirts with 4 different ties. He knew each of the combinations worked, Aria had put them together for previous dates they'd been on. He just couldn't decide which was the best one for tonight. Whatever he chose, it had to be impressive. He wanted to look young, but not immature. He wanted to look like he'd put thought into his clothes, but not like he tried too hard. He wanted to look creative, but grounded. He wanted Aria to be here to help him decide, but she wasn't going with him. She wasn't going because he had decided it wasn't a good idea. She wasn't here because she had decided that what he had decided was horseshit.

Tonight, there was a book launch party hosted by Big Scrapple Publishing in Philadelphia. Every handful of years Big Scrapple put out a 3-book set highlighting the works of up and coming young writers from Pennsylvania. Ezra's work had been chosen for both the short story and poetry anthologies. It was an immense honor, only 4 of the writers were featured in more than one of the books. Ezra was proud, but overwhelmed, by the attention he had been receiving for the last few weeks from the literary scene in Philadelphia. The marketing department chose to highlight him, in particular, because being a college professor at 25 was a good hook. Other writers in the spotlight included a recent immigrant from South America, a young veteran who lost part of her leg to an I.E.D., and a writer who was the son of a successful novelist. Ezra worried that the scrutiny would increase if anyone figured out his real last name. And then, of course, there was Aria.

Aria was the one who encouraged Ezra to submit his work, she even suggested he use the detective story that Big Scrapple liked so much. He absolutely wanted to celebrate this with her, just not at this party. The event would be too large of a risk for exposure. Photographs from both outside and inside the event would be posted on Big Scrapple Publishing's website. The press was covering the event. The subsequent mingling would be riddled with tricky questions and assumptions. Ezra and Aria were currently "running into each other" at Hollis semi-regularly. They were starting to evolve their public relationship from teacher/student to normal friends. They made sure they were seen on campus together, in public, grabbing coffee, chatting at an outdoor table, sitting on the grass in the quad. Aria was being "up front" with her parents that they were talking, spending time in each other's company, learning about each other in a non-academic way. Aria was going to ask Ella's opinion about her desire to ask Ezra out on a date. A single picture of them together at the launch party would upend the applecart. Ezra doubted there was a single student at Rosewood High that hadn't heard about their former teacher's budding success.

The party was being held at an upscale restaurant that the publisher rented out for the whole night. There was going to be a red carpet of sorts, where photographers from local news outlets could take pictures of the writers as they arrived. Only an official photographer would be inside to take pictures of the first portion of the evening, which included several writers reading excerpts of their work. Ezra was going to be reading the poem he'd written and follow that up immediately with a scene from his story. The publisher felt it was a great way to transition from the poetry book to the short story book. At the end of the readings there would be a short Q&A that was open to the press. Ezra was incredibly nervous to read his work in such a high-profile environment, and he was straight up scared of the Q&A. If they asked about the inspiration for his poem, he couldn't tell them about Aria. If they asked about his love life in general, he had to keep his relationship quiet, but not imply he was available. If they asked about his family, he hoped banal vagueness would suffice.

The Q&A marked the end of the formal launch party, and then the social part of the party would begin. The photographer would clear out and the press would be released. Any reporters who wished to stay were welcome, with the strict understanding that nothing from the private event was on the record. Big Scrapple wanted to encourage their writers to build a rapport with the press but wouldn't let any of them be cornered by an overzealous literary critic. There would be food, drinks, dancing, and general merriment. There would also be introductions, awkward small talk, and people hungry to consume any salacious tidbits they could pull from the other inebriated guests. And that wasn't even considering the social media enthusiasts that would post pictures and stories about the night everywhere on the internet. Ezra had explained all of these concerns to Aria, and though she acknowledged each one, she still insisted there were ways to overcome the risks. Ezra loved her optimism, but he couldn't take the chance.

Ezra wondered about that choice now, looking at his bed. He hated that Aria was upset with him. He hated that he was facing going through the night without her. He really hated that he would be coming home without her. Aria's very personal congratulations to him after he found out they'd chosen him for the books had stayed on his mind for days. Thinking about it now made Ezra ache. Was it too late to change his mind? The car that the publisher was sending for him would be here in 15 minutes, so, yes. It was absolutely too late. Ezra grabbed the black shirt and silver tie. Aria loved that tie, and the black shirt matched his mood.

18 minutes later Ezra walked out of his building and over to the black sedan that was across the street. The driver was waiting. He opened the back door and Ezra was shocked to see that the car already had an occupant. At first all he could see in the dark interior was a sparkly silver stiletto and an attractive stockinged leg. Was he supposed to be riding with someone else to the party? As Ezra got closer he could see more deeply into the darkness and saw a dark green strapless dress, magnificent alabaster skin, and the face he loved more than anything else in the world, Aria.

Ezra froze and just stared for a moment. He couldn't contain the smile that burst onto his face. She was exquisite. Her hair was up, showing her beautiful neck and shoulders. The neckline of the dress accentuated her bust, but looked elegant and mature, rather than revealing. The dress ended just above the knee. Long, multi-strand earrings completed the picture of perfection that was his Aria, and she was here. That thought quickly broke Ezra out of his daze and his smile evaporated.

"Aria? What are you doing?" Ezra climbed into the backseat and faced his girlfriend who looked regal, like a queen presiding over her court. Her expression was pleasant, but cool, as if his arrival was expected but not agreeable.

"I'm doing what you should have done. I'm inviting myself to the party."

"Aria, we talked about this. Tonight, is nerve wracking for me and I need to focus on just getting through it. If you're there, and someone asks the wrong question..."

"I remember the argument, Ezra. But since I can't convince you you're wrong, I have to prove you wrong. Now, let's play nice, you never know what kind of gossip the driver might spread. You don't want to get a reputation for fighting with your girlfriend, do you? Consider the scandal." Ezra rolled his eyes at Aria's sarcasm. It wasn't a bad point, though. If it got around that Ezra had tried to prevent his girlfriend from going to the party, people would start asking questions. He couldn't believe Aria was putting him in this position. He was trying to protect her, too.

The majority of the ride into the city was spent in stony silence. When they were about 20 minutes out Aria turned to Ezra and gave him a shy smile. "You are very handsome, this evening, Professor. That's probably the outfit I would have picked, too. It's interesting, a bit bold but not flashy, it's elegant and sexy as sin. And it's gently reminiscent of your story." Aria had an artist's eye. When she liked the look of something, she could describe exactly why. She was also a writer, so her descriptions were vivid and often more beautiful than the thing being described. She and her friend Hanna didn't have the same taste in clothes, but they loved talking fashion. Hanna was an encyclopedia of fashion knowledge and Aria could pick out all the details that differentiated similar outfits.

Ezra smiled and reached for Aria's hand. He kissed it and then held it, lovingly. Ezra might end up with an ulcer from worrying this evening, but he still adored this woman. "You are stunning. I think you witnessed how I was stunned when I first saw you."

"I thought that was just shock that I was in the car." Aria replied. Ezra chuckled, just a little.

"Well, that too, but mostly I was just taking in your beauty. I almost forgot to be mad." He tried to take the sting out of those words by kissing her hand again. Aria smiled and a little of her eyes' natural sparkle appeared.

"Since we both look so spiffy, let's take a quick picture. Tim, is it ok if we take a picture? We need the flash, but we'll only take one." Aria addressed the driver with friendliness and familiarity.

"No problem, Miss Aria. Just count down from 3 so I'm prepared." Tim's voice was warm, maybe even admiring. Ezra was confused.

"You know the driver's name? You two are friends?" Ezra kept his voice soft but didn't try to whisper. Tim was going to hear him. Aria tilted her chin down and looked at Ezra out of the top of her eyes. The look screamed, _really?_

"I talked him into letting me into the car, of course we exchanged names. And, I am very happy I got to meet him, he's a good egg." Aria spoke at normal level, she wanted Tim to hear the compliment.

"The pleasure has been all mine, Miss Aria." Aria could hear the smile in his voice. You could never have too many friends. Aria reached down to the bundle at her feet. She grabbed a silver scarf/shawl.

"I wanted to show you this new wrap. I love how it shimmers." Aria held it up to Ezra and he smiled. Aria wrapped it around her shoulders.

"It's lovely. Did you want to do the picture?" He had his phone in hand. Aria smiled and nodded. Ezra set the phone and made sure the flash was facing them.

"3, 2, 1." Aria counted down and Ezra took the picture. "Great. Now let's look at it." Something about this situation didn't feel quite normal to Ezra. He switched modes and was more than a little surprised at what he saw. His face was heavily shadowed, and Aria's was completely blacked out. Her wrap was a blinding white. Aria was smiling in satisfaction.

"What just happened? What is that thing?" Ezra gestured to the normal looking silver scarf.

"This is a highly reflective scarf that was designed with the idea of stopping paparazzi from getting good pictures of celebrities. The flash reflects off the scarf and completely throws off the exposure. Voilà. I have no face. Obviously, these things are insanely expensive." Aria stopped there, if Ezra asked she would tell him, but she wasn't going to incriminate herself for no reason.

"And how is it that you have it? I can't imagine Byron and Ella approving of the purchase." Ezra knew that Aria didn't shoplift, but she might have let Hanna get it for her. Aria laughed at his question.

"No, my parents don't know I have this. I borrowed it from Melissa Hastings. Why in the world she thinks she needs it is not a mystery I'm looking to solve." Ezra looked at her, doubtfully.

"Spencer's sister lent you an insanely expensive scarf." Ezra's few encounters with the older Hastings sister had not left him with the impression that Melissa would be so generous.

"Spencer and I may have skipped the step of asking, but I am going to return it, so it is borrowing." Aria knew from personal experience that there were people that could not be reasoned with or persuaded. When presented with the unhappy circumstance of needing something from one of those people, it was better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. The best was to not get caught. Ezra shook his head at Aria's admission.

"I concede that you have come up with a genius way of not being photographed. But you know that wasn't my only concern." Ezra didn't want to argue, again, but he was still fearful of taking Aria into the party. At the least, she needed to understand where he was coming from. Aria looked at him with sympathy. Worrying so much wasn't good for him.

"I know it wasn't, and we will address the other concerns, but we'll be at the party in less than 15 minutes and you have done nothing to prepare me for it."

Ezra cut in, "I didn't prepare you for it because I didn't think you would be attending it."

"Yes, Baby, I know. But let's live in the now. I know a little about the people you've been working with from your limited stories about them. Who am I likely to meet and what do you want me to talk about with them?" Ezra spent the rest of the drive giving Aria a brief rundown of the staff at the publishing company and the other writers that he had met, so far. He focused especially on Sylvia Westin, she was the publisher, and the anthologies were her brain child. She put a lot of thought and time into them and was very supportive of the writers. Ezra realized how ungrateful he would seem if it was obvious he hadn't talked about her with Aria. Come to think of it, why hadn't he? He'd have to think about it later.

Ezra was familiar with the area; Big Scrapple was only a handful of blocks from the restaurant. He knew they'd be there momentarily. His stomach was starting to churn, he felt hot, and short of breath. Aria recognized the signs of an impending panic attack. She took immediate action. Aria wrapped her arms around Ezra's neck and pulled him into a kiss. It was deep and passionate, she barely stopped herself from running her fingers through his hair. Ezra's arms went around Aria's waist and he pulled her against him. The only thing that existed for Ezra in that moment was Aria's kiss. All other thought faded away. Aria slowed the kiss and gradually ended it. She pulled back, but Ezra resisted. He wanted to reclaim her mouth, he wanted more.

Aria caressed Ezra's cheek. "Baby, we're almost there. Everything is ok, you're going to be fantastic." Aria pulled tissue from her purse and wiped her lip gloss from around his mouth. She smiled at him. His eyes were clearing from the haze that had covered them for a moment. "Make sure your phone is on vibrate, you don't want it making noise during the reading. I am crazy proud of you, find me in the audience, ok? If you get nervous, just look at me." The car slowed and got in line behind a few other cars that were dropping guests off at the restaurant. It was time. "Ezra, look at me. I love you more than I could possibly say. Give those photographers that million-dollar smile that I fell in love with. I will see you after the Q&A, ok?" Ezra finally opened his mouth.

"What do you mean? You're not coming with me?" Ezra hadn't wanted Aria to come, but now the thought of her not being there was awful.

"Tim is going to bring me around back and get me in through a side door. I am here to support you not ruin everything we're working toward. You have to walk in there alone. Besides, if I was next to you, none of the photos would come out. I can't deny the world a chance to see how gorgeous you are. It would be selfish." Ezra cracked-up. Aria constantly surprised him. The car edged forward, and a valet opened the door next to Ezra. He turned to get out, but Aria grabbed his arm. "One more thing, I wasn't wearing the wrap earlier when I was getting ready for tonight, so those pictures came out just fine. I'll send them to you, k?" She winked and pushed him out of the car.

Ezra shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He walked up to the restaurant slowly. Flashbulbs started going off when he walked directly in front of the pool of photographers. He calmly took his stance and faced a few different directions. This wasn't actually a new experience for him. He'd attended countless formal events when he was still a Fitzgerald, many of them had press pools at the entrance. He knew how to stand, how to move, the speed to go so you were courteous of the professionals doing their jobs but didn't look like a narcissist. It all came back to him as he walked up to the doors of the restaurant. If events like this were in his future, he would feel wonderful having Aria beside him. Once their relationship was out in the open and accepted, he would make sure everyone knew that he was lucky enough to be loved by Aria Montgomery. His phone vibrated in his pocket as he walked into the restaurant. He stepped to the side and pulled it out to find a message from Aria and a picture.

 _I was thinking of your beautiful eyes when I picked this out. I was thinking of your eyes running up and down my body in this set. I was thinking of your eyes running up and down my body out of this set. xoxo-Aria_

The picture was of her bed decked out in white sheets. On top lay a dark blue satin and lace lingerie set, complete with garter belt and black stockings. Aria said she'd taken pictures, plural, and would send them to him. God help him.

* * *

Aria smiled to herself as she hit send on the first message. She hoped the pictures would distract Ezra from being nervous. She hoped he would think of them and anticipate getting the next one, so he didn't think of everything that could go wrong and anticipate what might bring everything crashing down. She also hoped that the photos would erase any lingering anger and resentment that Ezra was feeling about her forcing her way into his night. Better to ask for forgiveness… If Aria was honest with herself, there was one more reason she was sending him the notes and pics. She was punishing him for telling her she couldn't come in the first place. He'd doubted her ability to overcome the challenges the night presented. So, she was going to challenge him to maintain his composure in the face of her lusty torment.

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 **This story will be about 6 or 7 chapters, I think. I will get the next chapter up when I'm finished with it. Thank you all for your understanding. Blessings to all**


	2. Hating the Waiting

**A/N: I'm afraid many of you might be peeved with my lack of progress on this story, but you can only get more of it from me. Some reviews might encourage me to write a little faster, and or a little smuttier. Ain't I a stinka?**

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Chapter 2

Ezra swirled his glass and stared at the light brown liquid forming little whirlpools. He was in a private party room along with everyone else participating in the readings and Q&A. They had made the space a "green room" of sorts, so they could corral all of the presenters together. Ezra hated waiting, always. The event would officially start in about fifteen minutes, so Ezra and the others were chatting, milling about, killing time. The restaurant had appetizers set up on a table against the back wall, crudité, iced shrimp, caviar, common high-end options. They also had an open bar. Ezra questioned this decision. He supposed that the publishing company assumed that everyone would behave as responsible adults, but Ezra had seen a couple of particularly nervous looking writers head back to the bar three times in the twenty minutes they'd been in the room. Ezra had opted for iced tea. He would have preferred to have a beer but belching tended to throw off the rhythm of reading a poem or story. He wasn't eating, because his stomach was already full of butterflies, and he didn't feel like chatting, so he was lounging against the wall, doing his best impression of a potted plant.

His mind kept going back to the text from Aria. He had been unsettled by the prospect of receiving risqué pictures and texts, at first. But now, he was kind of impatient for the second one to arrive. That lingerie set was new and beautiful. He could imagine the way the deep blue would shine against her pale skin. He imagined Aria clipping her stockings to the garters, especially the garter running down the back of her inner thigh. He thought of all the times he'd unclipped her stockings, rubbing the creamy flesh "Ezra? Are you ok?" Ezra jumped at the sound of a woman's voice right next to him. He was yanked out of his daydream and landed with a thud back in the real world. He looked embarrassedly at the source of the question.

It was April Stockett, the young veteran. Getting to know her over the last month had been a pleasure. Ezra really hoped he hadn't done anything too strange in front of her. "April, hi. You look beautiful." And it was true. April was wearing a pale blue chiffon dress that looked very light and airy. Her close-cropped brown hair had a little curl to it, and she was wearing make-up for the first time that Ezra had seen. "I'm fine, just lost in my own mind." April laughed softly.

"I'd say. I thought you somehow had a tv screen hidden in your iced tea. You hadn't looked up for five minutes." Ezra laughed at himself and offered April a hug. Of course, that was the moment his phone went off. April pulled back and gave him a teasing look. "Do you always buzz when someone hugs you?"

Ezra pulled his phone out and checked. "No, just when I'm getting a text from Aria." April was one of the few people he had told about his girlfriend. He'd kept it vague, of course, but he'd even shown April her picture.

"Oh, that's so sweet. I'm sorry she can't be here with you. I'm sure she's bummed about it too." Oh, great, yeah he'd told people Aria couldn't come. He'd add that to the list of awkward questions he'd have to answer all night. Ezra tried not to turn his smile into a grimace.

"Actually, she is here. She didn't even tell me things had changed. She just appeared when it was time to come."

April pressed her hand to her chest and said, "Aw. That is so romantic. Were you thrilled?" Thrilled? Maybe the way a rollercoaster thrills you when it sends you hurtling straight toward the ground.

"I was stunned." Ezra used his voice to turn the statement into a positive reaction.

"I haven't even met her, yet, and I already think you guys are too cute. Well, I will leave you to read your little love note. We'll talk later, yeah?"

"Absolutely, thanks!" April walked over to a group of writers and Ezra casually moved to an empty corner of the room. He leaned against one wall, facing the other. He made it fairly obvious that he was holding his phone so his choice of where to stand didn't come off as too odd. He had no idea what kind of reaction he'd have to the second text. He didn't want anyone to see his face or the front of his pants. He clicked on the text.

 _Because they're often the last thing you want to take off, the stockings are the first thing I like to put on. -xoxo Aria_

The attached picture showed Aria in full body profile. She was sitting on a straight-backed chair. The leg further from the camera was bare, foot on the floor. The closer leg was straight and pointed up, like a clock hand pointed at the number 2. Her arms were outstretched, pulling on a stocking that was already on, up to the knee. Because of the position of her legs, the picture showed the naked line of her hip, but nothing more. The position of her arms covered all but a suggestion of her bosom. The lighting made her dark brown hair shine against her shoulder and down her back.

Aria's beauty took Ezra's breath away. It's not that he had expected the picture to be raunchy, he'd never associate that word with Aria. But this photograph was, it was so much, it was art. Even the text was artful; suggestive, seductive, but not dirty. Ezra was awed as much as he was aroused. He wanted the next picture, now. But he would have to wait. And for most of the time he'd be sitting. That should make things easier to handle. And when he was standing, he'd mostly be behind a podium. So, as long as he could keep some control, he'd be fine. His phone buzzed again and he smiled. This time, however, it was only a text. But Ezra was still anxious to read it.

 _You're reading your pieces from a binder. You know how students conceal their phones in class. And the binder can help you hide more than_ _just_ _your phone. I can make your down time on stage perk right up. -xoxo Aria_

"Would everyone please set down your food and drinks and follow me to the stage, thank you." Ezra reluctantly slipped his phone back into his pocket and fell in line with the group as they followed the young waiter out of the room. Ezra hated waiting, almost always.

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 **The next chapter will cover all of Ezra's time on stage. I know this chapter was short, but now that I'm done with Dive Right In, this is my only smut. I will talk to you again, soon. Blessings to all**


	3. The Blessed Binder

**A/N: I am happy with how this came out, I hope you are too.**

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Chapter 3

 _Ezra Fitz – 25 – Professor of Literature, Hollis College_

 _Poem- Forgetting Theory_

 _Short Story- Shadow Play_

Aria read and reread Ezra's entry in the program. How had she ever managed to convince this incredible man to fall in love with her? Part of her winning argument was laid out in the title of Ezra's poem. That night seemed to belong to a different life, a different couple. They were unsure of what they wanted, what the other wanted from them. They didn't know how to exist in each other's lives, when laws and strangers dictated that they shouldn't even try. They didn't know where the line was between desire and need, between destiny and insanity. All they knew was that when they were together, things made more sense. When they were together, it was easier to believe and have hope. When they were together, it was easier to be themselves and just breathe.

The way they felt when they were together hadn't changed. That was why Aria felt like she needed to be here tonight. Of course, she wanted to go to the fancy party, in a fancy dress, and meet fancy people. She also wanted to fill the space next to Ezra, so that any girl who was knocked out by the one-two punch of Ezra's beauty sharing Ezra's talent, wouldn't get any ideas about being his sparring partner. But those were shallow reasons, benefits that she appreciated since she was here. They were not worth risking Ezra's anger, or worse, discovery for. What Ezra wouldn't acknowledge, and likely didn't understand, was that if Aria didn't come to the party, he wouldn't come to the party, either.

From the moment that the publisher asked Ezra to be one of the speakers at the launch, Ezra was preparing against failure. He talked about getting through the evening, getting past the Q&A, avoiding saying the wrong thing or making a bad impression. He was so worried about avoiding mistakes and keeping things hidden, that he wouldn't allow any of himself to be visible. The Ezra that would be at the party was Ezra Fitzgerald, the perfect automaton that Dianne had shaped throughout his childhood. He would be pleasant, if a bit taciturn. His smile would be dazzling, but his eyes would be cold. He would be collected, measured, intelligent and removed. He wouldn't be warm, funny, open or invested. His reading would be technically perfect, but you wouldn't be able to hear his soul behind the words.

So, that was the job that Aria had set herself. She would stop Ezra from closing up too much. She would pull him out from behind his protective wall as many times as he needed. He would be the Ezra that she loved, because she was here to love him. She just hoped that she could be who he needed. She hoped she made him proud and that before the evening ended, he would be glad she came.

Aria looked at the space around her and was impressed. The restaurant was fashioned after a Big Band era supper club. There was a stage/dais in the main room where live bands played. This was the stage for the book launch. The audience was seated on the dance floor, which would be available later in the party. The main room was two stories high and balconies wrapped around 3 of the walls. The décor was art deco with a modern twist. It was beautiful. Aria carefully picked her seat. She sat in the last seat, three rows from the front. The lights from the stage reached her just enough that Ezra should have no trouble seeing her. The only pictures of the audience that would include her face were ones taken in front of the front row. She would be able to see the photographer coming from that close-up, a turn of the head, reading the program, or reaching down to her purse were all natural movements that would obscure her face. She even struck up a conversation with a couple about her parents' age that was sitting next to her. To the casual observer she would look like a member of a group, not an obvious girlfriend by herself. Aria didn't know why Ezra was so worried when she was paranoid enough for both of them.

Ezra walked to the club chair he'd chosen and scooped up his burgundy leather portfolio. He sat and immediately began searching the audience. He located Aria off to his left and close enough that he could read her expression. She stuck her tongue out at him, and he had to bite his own tongue, so he couldn't return the gesture. He had to admit, seeing her in the audience made being up on stage easier. He would be satisfied if he made Aria smile the way she did whenever she was particularly proud of him.

After welcoming everyone to the book launch and giving a brief history of Big Scrapple Publishing, Sylvia Westin explained how the anthologies came to be and the success stories from past anthologies, including a Tony winning playwright. Ezra paid attention to the introduction, but once the readings began, his focus wandered. Ezra looked out over the rest of the audience, but his eyes soon drifted back to Aria. She pulled her phone out of her small purse and set the purse back on the floor. She shot him a flirty smile and shook the phone slightly. Was she honestly going to send him pictures while he was on stage? Yes, of course she was. Ezra had put his phone on silent and had it hidden behind his binder. He had no doubt that this was a game in Aria's mind. Could he control his lust? Could he handle whatever she threw at him and keep it together? Ezra should refuse to play. All he had to do was not look at the images she was sending. All he had to do was shut his phone off until after the Q&A. But the word "should" had never had a place in his relationship with Aria. Every time one of them tried to force a "should", they both ended up miserable. So, he would play. He would put his self-control up against Aria's seduction. Because he was an idiot.

As if on cue, Ezra's screen lit up. He opened the message and had to cough softly to cover for the groan he barely held back.

 _Conventional wisdom says that if you are nervous about public speaking, you should imagine the audience in their underwear. I thought I would get you started. -xoxo Aria_

The picture was a double exposure of Aria sitting in the same chair from the last photo. The "top" layer was Aria fully dressed. Her hair was up, her dress was immaculate, her legs were crossed, and her expression was composed and demure. The image was soft and misty. Behind it was the more solid "bottom" layer. The photo was of a very different Aria. She was only wearing the lingerie set and her stilettos. She was more magnificent than Ezra had imagined. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, her legs were spread slightly, and her expression was arousing. Her eyes were hooded, her lips were soft and somewhat parted. Ezra was grateful for several things, in that moment. He was in a club chair with solid sides and back. He hadn't worn particularly tight dress pants. There were still four poems to be read before it was his turn. And he had that blessed binder.

Ezra looked at the Aria sitting in the audience. She met his eyes and smiled beatifically. Yeah, she knew what she had done, and obviously was quite proud of herself. Did Ezra win if his torment was only noticeable to Aria? Or did he have to convince her he was unaffected? His now swelling cock meant he would not win that second challenge. Aria knew him too well. He glanced back down at the picture and an image appeared in his head, unbidden. He slid his stiff cock in between those beautiful lips and Aria enthusiastically drew him further into her mouth. Standing in between her legs in front of the chair, Ezra held the back of Aria's head and prepared to thrust. _STOP!_ Ezra slammed on the mental brakes and returned his mind to the giant room full of people. He felt his cheeks start to burn. He was still sitting in the same position, his hands were still resting on top of the binder, and no one was staring at him. Well, no one was staring except Aria. What had changed, though, was the intensity of his erection. He was now straining against his "not particularly tight" slacks. His cock was rigid as timber and it throbbed and ached as if he'd stopped in the middle of an actual blow-job.

Ezra carefully leaned forward and took one of the water bottles placed on tables in front of the writers. The worst thing when you're reading aloud is dry mouth. As he sat back he realized that he now had a poem and a half before he had to stand-up and walk across the stage. Ezra sipped the water and tried not to think anything remotely sexy. He certainly couldn't look at Aria. Then his phone's screen lit up again and his eyes flew to Aria's face. She looked worried and guilty. She silently mouthed _Sorry_. She pointed to Ezra's lap and mimicked unlocking the phone. Ezra wasn't really upset with Aria. Technically, it was his own imagination that had caused the "problem" he now faced. The audience began clapping and now there was only one poem between Ezra and crushing humiliation. The poem was lyrical and took about 3 minutes to read, but that wasn't much time. With how anxious he was becoming, he was surprised how hard he still was. His racing heartrate probably wasn't helping.

Trusting Aria wouldn't be trying to make the situation worse, Ezra opened the message. There was no picture.

 _No one can tell you're uncomfortable, so don't worry. I'm sorry, I will stick to encouraging words, only. You will be great, just think how proud your mother will be. -xoxo Aria_

Ezra felt the cold of the White Walkers pass through his body. He immediately felt his cock beginning to soften. He wouldn't have been able to maintain an erection for anything. Aria was a fucking genius! Mention of his mother could drain the joy, the warmth, the very light itself out of almost any situation. Shoving Dianne firmly out of his mind, Ezra thought about how much he loved Aria. Which was perfect timing, because taking a chance on their love was what his poem was about. Another round of applause and it was time. And difficult as it was to believe, Ezra felt like he was ready.

Aria felt butterflies fluttering around her stomach as she listened to Ezra reading his poem. Ezra had many different "voices" and the way he sounded when doing a reading always thrilled her. The tone was similar to his "teaching voice" in that it drew the audience in, kept everyone paying attention, and felt strong yet soft. The difference in this voice was that every word held emotion. It made her feel like he was laying his soul bare, and it was so beautiful. Ezra's eyes sought out hers a few times, but only for a few moments. It would be hard to avoid questions about his girlfriend if the audience could tell that he'd read the poem to a specific person. Aria understood.

Besides, she felt bad about the trouble she'd caused him. She supposed she'd have to stick to her message of encouraging words, only. She was disappointed, she still had a couple pictures she'd planned to send him in between his readings and the Q&A. But she didn't want to increase his anxiety, sure she'd wanted to torment him a little, but not to the point of making him upset. Of course, he would be sitting through the rest of the presentation. And she had wanted to distract him leading up to the Q&A. She supposed it wouldn't do any harm to let Ezra know there were more photos and offer to send them or hold them back. Ezra paused as the audience applauded very enthusiastically for the poem and Aria was ready for the look he sent her way. It asked, 'Was that ok?' and Aria gave him a huge smile and nodded. He had a room full of people clapping, but he still checked to see if she had liked it. She loved him so much.

Ezra walked away from the podium and sat down in his seat. He couldn't remember most of the time that he'd spent at the lectern. He wasn't at all sure that he'd read all of the words or read them in the correct order. He remembered applause, though, after his poem and again after the snippet of his story. There had been laughter at the funnier lines of dialogue, and he hadn't heard a single boo. What he remembered most, were Aria's smiles. The smiles were bursting with joy and pride. She nodded, answering questions he couldn't actually ask. Whatever the rest of the evening brought, Ezra would be eternally grateful that she was sitting in that audience, tonight.

Ezra tried to catch Aria's eye, but she had her head down, looking at her lap. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and placed it on the seat, next to his leg. He discreetly opened the message when it appeared.

 _Baby, that was stupendous! I've never heard you read that poem better. I have a "reward" for you for a job well done, but I don't want to make things_ harder _for you. I can always wait and show you when I'm able to_ handle _any problem that might_ arise _. xoxo- Aria_

Ezra laughed, silently. She must really want to send the photo, based on how she'd thrown down the gauntlet. She might as well have asked him if he was chicken. She knew just how to push his buttons. Well, if he said no, he lost. If he said yes and overheated, he lost. But now that he was done reading, losing because he looked at the pictures sounded like a lot more fun. Ezra picked his binder up off the floor, crossed his legs with one ankle resting on the opposite knee, and placed the binder across his lap with the phone tucked behind it. He then responded for the first time, that evening.

 _Bring it on, Montgomery_

When Aria got his reply, she smiled like a kid getting an ice cream cone. Ezra couldn't wait to be able to take Aria to get ice cream cones. He'd had a few naughty fantasies centered around that, actually. Wow, his mind was really wanting to go there. Aria in a sweatshirt would probably turn him on, right now. Hmm, Aria in his sweatshirt, Aria in only his sweatshirt, well that would turn him on no matter what. When Ezra got Aria's message there were no sweatshirts, or shirts of any kind, but it did make him sweat.

 _A picture is worth a thousand words, or two thousand if there's an echo. -xoxo Aria_

The attached picture showed Aria sitting backward on the now familiar chair. Her legs were straddling the seat and her hands were draped over the top of the chairback. That chairback had wide top and bottom rails and sinuous spindles connecting them. The rails hid Aria's lap and blocked Ezra's view of Aria's breasts. But he knew she was topless because dangling from one of her hands was the bra for the set. It was like a single moment pulled out of a strip tease, emphasis on tease. Even Aria's smile was teasing, a look of 'I know something you don't know'. It was so beautiful, but tamer than Ezra had expected. After the double exposure photo and the stockings photo, this seemed fairly PG. But that text, that smile…Ezra looked the photo over carefully and he found it. Aria's full-length, stand-alone mirror was in the shot and the reflection in it shouldn't have been possible. The mirror was a bit behind Aria, but the reflection came from a bit forward of her and to the side. Aria had set a second mirror out of the shot and he was looking at the reflection of a reflection. In the mirror he saw the parts of Aria that were blocked by the chair. He could see her perfect breasts with their small, pert nipples. He could just make out, in the shadow between her legs, that she wasn't wearing the panties, either.

The remainder of the readings went by completely unnoticed by Ezra. He must have seemed impolite, not clapping at the end of each story, but he needed to use the time to incrementally regain control of his body and his mind. By the time the Q&A began, he realized he hadn't worried about it for even a second. The first question that was directed to him was one he'd dreaded, but the answer came easily. When asked if the poem was about a girl, Ezra replied that it was about a girl. And it was about leaving home and leaving his job at the high school to teach at the college. The poem, he said, was about those times in life when pro/con lists fail you and the wisdom of others can't tell you what's right for you. The other question he got was to name his number one goal for his life. "To marry the woman of my dreams and make her happy for the rest of our lives."

Sylvia was giving her closing remarks and explaining the rest of the evening, when Ezra got one last text.

 _Well done, my love. I do have one more question, Professor Fitz. Is this a picture of me putting on my panties, or taking them off? – xoxo Aria_

The picture was taken from floor level and showed a blurry Aria sitting on the edge of her bed with the camera focused on her lower legs. Her panties were around her ankles and she had her thumb hooked in them stretching them over one of her stilettos. That was it, he was done. Ezra was completely out of willpower and he honestly had no desire to keep himself in check for another minute. Aria won, her seduction was absolutely stronger than his self-control. He replied to her message with one last one of his own.

 _Follow me, NOW_

* * *

 **I hope that my descriptions of the pictures were clear enough. I can see them so clearly in my head, I wish I could draw and I could create them. Semi on topic, Lucy Hale is crazy photogenic. I adore how much of a chameleon she is. Read and Review and the world will seem a little bit brighter. Blessings to all**


	4. The Fainting Couch

Chapter 4

Aria sent the last picture to Ezra and smiled. He'd handled the photos really well. The message with the last photo wasn't just about the launch, it was about his resolve. She'd admit, he had surprised her. She had assumed the mirror picture would be what made steam start streaming from under his collar. But he'd managed it pretty well. Of course, he'd had a half-hour to "relax" before he had to talk again. But it was the double-exposure picture that had affected him the most. She wondered why, she'd ask him later.

She watched as Ezra received the last text. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and when he opened them, his eyes looked intense. Aria's stomach did a little flip and she bit her lower lip. She squirmed, just a bit, in her seat as she pictured Ezra turning those intense eyes on her. Aria's phone vibrated in her hand. Ezra had responded. She looked back at his face and his eyes were focused directly on her. She forgot to breathe for a moment and had little faith in her ability to look away from Ezra's eyes. They were piercing and even at that distance she could get lost in them. Thankfully, unfortunately? Ezra broke their gaze and looked down at her phone, then back at her. Oh, yeah, he texted. Aria opened the message and smiled. Obviously, he didn't mean NOW, Sylvia was still talking, but she liked the idea.

Ezra stood and remained in a ducked position. He put his folder on the chair and slipped his phone into his pocket. He kept himself low till he reached the front of the stage, at which point he simply jumped off. The stage was roughly four feet high, so the drop wasn't dramatic, but it still wasn't a move most people made. Aria sat, frozen, with her mouth hanging open. Apparently, he did mean NOW. She watched him walking back toward the double doors he had walked out of and quickly gathered her things.

Aria stood as the audience began to applaud. People began to move, so it was easy for Aria to slip away, unnoticed. She forced herself to walk to the doors, running would draw attention, and she might be told not to enter the private room. She reached the doors and slipped through. The room before her was empty. Aria hesitated a moment before seeing another set of doors near the opposite corner of the space, next to a beautiful built-in bar. One of the doors was open and, being alone, Aria got to hurry this time.

Aria rushed through the door and found herself in a corridor. There were two similar sets of double doors spaced along one wall. All of the private party rooms must open onto this corridor. At the far end there were swinging doors that obviously lead to the kitchens. Aria made her way down the hall, not at all sure where Ezra might have gone. The party rooms were dark, and Aria remembered that Big Scrapple had reserved the whole restaurant for tonight. Aria began to feel a bit uneasy. Aria was not fond of things jumping out at her, and even though Ezra was normally considerate about that, she couldn't help but worry that she was about to be ambushed.

At the midway point, across the hall from the party rooms, were restrooms. Aria smiled, of course. She opened the door to the ladies' room and crossed her fingers. Ezra was standing there, leaning against the sinks, so incredibly sexy that Aria's knees nearly buckled at the sight of him. Without a word, he pushed away from the counter and covered the small distance between them. He reached behind her and flipped the lock on the door. Then he pushed her up against it and crashed his lips into hers in a bruising kiss. Aria wrapped her arms around Ezra's neck and pushed up onto her tiptoes to get an extra ¼ of an inch closer. Ezra grabbed and squeezed Aria's ass, holding her tightly against his bulging erection and grinding himself against her.

"You win," Ezra whispered, moving his mouth to place gentle kisses down the side of her neck. He didn't want to be gentle, he wanted to suck and bite Aria's neck the way that made her lose track of everything besides the pleasure of his tongue and teeth against her skin. But that would lead to hickeys that would be impossible to hide. He promised himself that he would make up for it once he got her home and in their bed. Ezra thought of the bed as theirs, because it didn't feel right when she wasn't in it.

Aria ran her fingers through Ezra's hair, he could fix it when they were done. "What did I win?" Aria purred while Ezra left feather kisses along her collar bone. He responded with his mouth still grazing her neck and shoulder. His hot breath gave her chills.

"I couldn't be patient any more. I couldn't not touch you, even though I only had to wait a few more minutes. So, you win." He didn't sound upset or annoyed that he'd given in. His voice held respect and desire. Aria debated enjoying her apparent "victory" as Ezra saw it. But, knowing that he liked getting the photos, and was quite clearly "happy" she was here, at least in this moment, was more than enough for her.

"I never meant for it to be a contest, Ezra. I just wanted to keep you too distracted to worry about the launch. I wanted to help keep you loose and focused on something pleasurable. Maybe, I was challenging you to stay cool and calm, but you did that. Your readings were amazing, and your answers were charming as hell, you know, as long as I'm the woman." Ezra spelled yes on her cleavage with his tongue. "Then I'd say you win, or at the very least, we both win." Aria pulled Ezra's chin up, so she could congratulate him with a well-deserved kiss. After a minute or two, Ezra separated their mouths and smirked at her.

"So, what's my prize, then?" Aria hadn't planned an actual prize, but the question felt like it was leading somewhere, anyway.

"What do you want?" Aria cooed as she loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button on his shirt. Ezra smiled, devilishly.

"I want to know the answer." Ezra dropped to his knees and slid his hands up the backs of Aria's thighs. Aria hiked her dress up to her waist. Ezra's hands hit satin at the same time that Aria's dress lifted like a movie theater curtain. "Putting them on, then." Aria had her lower lip between her teeth and she nodded. "So, I could have the pleasure of removing them?" Ezra slid a hand between her thighs and drew two fingers along the bottom of the underwear and let out a ragged breath, upon feeling that they were soaked through. Aria whimpered softly and nodded again, in answer to his question. Ezra loved drawing the first little noises from Aria, when she became aroused. She sighed and squealed and moaned, all softly, like she was trying to not be heard from 5 feet away. Then, in the throes of passion, she could blow the roof off with her cries of ecstasy.

Ezra breathed in the heady bouquet of Aria's sex. In that moment he could have ripped her panties off using his teeth. Instead, he nuzzled her soft mound, pushing at the satin with his nose till Aria gasped and Ezra knew that he was rubbing up against her clitoris. Aria began to pant and wiggle her hips. She started making little squeaks as her clit began to swell with arousal. Ezra could already tell this was going to get loud. He wasn't sure how well sound traveled around the back hallway, but he didn't want to risk being interrupted in what he was about to do. He looked around and saw that there was a chaise in one corner of the large anteroom. The piece, known also as a fainting couch, was antique looking, and upholstered in muted raspberry. Ezra stood up and pulled Aria into a deep kiss.

Aria was surprised that Ezra hadn't continued on his knees, but the kiss was so good, she quickly forgot. Their tongues glided over each other and each moment the kiss got more intense. Then Ezra wrapped his arms around her body and lifted her off the ground. He held one hand against the middle of her back and the other gripped her ass and kneaded the supple flesh of her cheeks. Aria squealed, a sound swallowed by Ezra as they kept the kiss going. Ezra walked across the room and set Aria down on the open end of the chaise. Aria watched with anticipation as Ezra grabbed the three pillows from the head of the sofa. He dropped one on the floor in front of her. He put one on the chaise and lowered Aria, so her head rested comfortably on it. The third, smaller, pillow, he handed to Aria and waggled his eyebrows at her. Aria laughed, understanding that she was to stifle any noise she felt like making.

Ezra walked around and stood in front of Aria. He reached down and grabbed both of her ankles and slowly lifted her legs until they pointed at the ceiling. He slid his hands over the silky stockings and down to her hips. Hooking his fingers around each side, he pulled her panties away from her body and up her legs. When they were free of her stilettos, Ezra brought them to his face and inhaled their sweet perfume. He groaned as the scent put his body back on high alert. Every part of his body knew and adored that scent of intimacy, of sex, of need. He slipped the fabric into the front pocket of his slacks and lowered himself onto his knees on the pillow on the floor. He spread Aria's legs wide and gazed upon her most intimate place, the place she shared only with him. Her glistening wet lips beckoned to him like the glossy surface of a lollipop. He leaned forward to taste her, slipping his tongue between her folds. He kept his tongue relaxed and lapped up Aria's arousal like a faithful hound licking his master's face. Aria moaned into the pillow and Ezra regretted that it was necessary. He much preferred her in full voice, expressing her pleasure without any thought or reservation. He then made his tongue sharp and stiff and prodded and flicked her clit. She panted and began to squirm. He held her still, wrapping his hands around her hips and pinning them to the couch. Ezra plunged his tongue into her center over and over and Aria squealed into the pillow. He released one of her hips and replaced his tongue with two thrusting fingers. He swirled his tongue around and around her clit before he began to suck on the swollen nub. He moved his fingers faster and faster as Aria started trembling. She gripped the pillow with both hands and screamed into it. There was a chance that, even muffled, that scream would be audible in the hallway. Ezra didn't stop, and Aria shook with her orgasm coursing through her body. When she stilled, so did he. She flung the pillow to the floor and lay limply on the couch while Ezra sucked the last of her cum off of his fingers.

Aria basked in the afterglow for a moment, the things Ezra could do to her body always astonished her. But she recovered quickly, because she had a question, and a mission. She watched as Ezra pulled her dress down and stood up. He did not, however, put her panties back on her. So, he wanted a souvenir, did he? She was ok with that. "Baby, that was incredible. But, after all of those pictures, why did you want to go down on me, first?" Aria sat up and pulled herself backward on the couch, so Ezra could sit in front of her.

He shrugged, "because, that's what I was most impatient for. That is the thing I couldn't wait another minute to do." Aria leaned forward and kissed him. She could taste herself on his lips and on his tongue. It made her feel even closer to him. She pulled back, and they smiled at each other.

"So, you enjoyed the photos, then. Even the one that gave you 'trouble.' Why was that one 'hardest' on you?" Aria giggled a bit when Ezra blushed at the question. He cleared his throat before answering.

"I am never taking these photos off of my phone. They are mine, and when I look at them I will think about you and that you are mine, too. It was the shape of your mouth, in that picture. Your lips were soft and parted and I accidentally imagined standing in front of you and sliding my hard cock into your warm, wet mouth." Just saying those words sent blood rushing into Ezra's groin. Aria noticed.

"I think that sounds like a perfect idea. Let's get right on that." Aria waited until Ezra stood up and then she scooted back to the edge of the chaise. Ezra smiled and excitedly undid his belt. Aria put her hands over his and he let her take over. She made undoing his pants seductive. She let them drop to the floor and then freed his cock from his boxer briefs. She pulled the underwear down and smacked his ass, playfully. Aria shaped her mouth exactly as it had been in the picture and Ezra lined himself up and slid his penis between her lips. It was perfect, and he groaned and let his head drop back. Aria rolled her tongue around the head of Ezra's cock until it oozed pre-cum from the tip. She wrapped her hand around the base and gently stroked him while she pulled him slowly into her mouth. He shuddered and fought himself to not shove his cock all the way in. Aria was totally capable of deep-throating his entire shaft, but only when she was ready.

Aria increased her grip on Ezra's base and took him down her throat, bringing her mouth right up to her hand. Forming a tight ring with one hand and gripping his ass with her other hand, Aria held Ezra still. She then pushed the ring into Ezra's body, putting pressure on the 'root' of his cock. When she combined the pressure with sliding his shaft in and out of her throat, running her tongue all over him, Ezra lost all coherent thought. He groaned and grunted and gasped for air. He was drowning in pleasure, he pushed against her hand, driving it even deeper into his groin. It all felt soooo wonderful, Ezra's eyes rolled back in his head and his knees nearly buckled. Aria held him tightly in place and increased the speed of her bobbing head. One last moment stretched into eternity and Ezra erupted. Cum shot down Aria's throat like a missile. Ezra held onto Aria's shoulders as his body seemed to rocket through space. Aria slowly loosened her grip and pulled her mouth off of his rapidly softening dick. She realized she might have done her job a little too well. Ezra couldn't stay on his feet. Aria stood and twisted them both around so that he could sit down, hard, on the couch. She leaned down and kissed his sweaty forehead. Now all they had to do was clean-up and get through an entire party. How hard could that be?


	5. Trying Not to Lie

Chapter 5

"Aria, it's a pleasure to meet you. Ezra wasn't sure you would be able to come. I'm so glad it worked out." Sylvia Westin greeted the couple, warmly.

"Thank you, I am too. My work schedule can be unpredictable, and my boss is wonderful, but not always mindful of other people's plans."

"What do you do?" Ezra tensed, it was the natural follow-up question. He hoped Aria had considered that when spinning that little yarn. Aria smiled, completely at ease.

"I'm a photographer's assistant. I basically do a lot of grunt work, but I'm constantly learning new things, and we work in so many different styles and venues, that I'm never bored." Aria was determined to not lie this evening. She'd thought over the questions she and Ezra would likely be asked and sculpted the truth to only include the things that made them look like a normal, boring couple. Ezra was impressed, Aria only worked with Laurel a few times a month, now that she was back in school. He hadn't even considered that she could have been talking about an actual job.

"Is your boss someone I might have heard of? In our business we use a lot of photographers." Sylvia found Aria to be delightful, she knew she was being nosy, but Ezra had always seemed reticent to talk about his girlfriend. This was Sylvia's chance to figure out if there was a reason. Aria nodded her head, she was proud of who she worked for.

"Laurel Tuchman?" Laurel did editorial work in Philadelphia fairly regularly.

"You work for Laurel? She's fantastic, well then you aren't just an assistant. You must be a talented photographer, yourself. Laurel doesn't hire non-photographers, as I recall. Have you participated in her master class?"

"I did, the summer between my junior and senior year of high school." Ezra held his breath, waiting for the follow-up question. Why did Aria mention high school?

"Oh, so Laurel has been molding you for a while, then. I would love to see your work, sometime."

"Thank you. I'd be happy to send you digital files." ' _Or,_ ' Ezra thought, _'I could show you my texts and you'd see Aria's more intimate work.'_

"Excellent! Ezra has all of my contact information, it was lovely meeting you. Tell Laurel, Sylvia Westin says hello."

"I definitely will, and it was wonderful meeting you." Sylvia leaned in and gave Aria an air-kiss next to her cheek. Sylvia was satisfied. It appeared that Ezra was just very private with his personal life.

"Enjoy the party, you two." Sylvia gave the same air-kiss to Ezra and then left to talk with her other guests.

"So how did you two meet? Did you have a class together?" April asked, causing Ezra to choke as he tried to drink his scotch. Aria thumped his back a few times and then rubbed it, soothing his anxiety. Aria looked at Ezra and gave him a coquettish smile.

"Ours is a classic tale of boy hits on girl at a bar. It was love at first sight. We both felt an immediate attraction, and as we talked we found out we had an incredible number of things in common. We've seen each other practically every day since then." Aria kept it short, was 100% honest, and kept Ezra's image lily white. Ezra's feelings went from worry to wonder. Aria always impressed Ezra, but there were moments when she was transcendent. She was witty, sophisticated, gracious, and supportive.

Ezra remembered feeling like a puppy following his owner when he trailed after Jackie at parties. She always made a great impression, but she made no effort to include him. There were occasions when Ezra would be silent and see how long it would take for Jackie to notice. 2 hours was the record.

Aria, in contrast, made every interaction a team effort. She was friendly and warm. She remembered any details he'd shared with her in the car and worked them seamlessly into the chitchat. She also gave detailed, positive feedback to all of the writers and never left anyone out. He had been such a jackass, not wanting her to be there. He wasn't successfully navigating the party in spite of Aria, but because of her. Having her there with him was making Ezra look good.

Aria told the story of how they met repeatedly throughout the party. A lot of people were curious how they got together. She never told it exactly the same way twice, but all of the facts were clear and unchanging. Some groups seemed like they would want the romance and with others she saw that they'd like a little spice. So, she threw in their bathroom make-out session. Ezra was having trouble keeping his attention on his surroundings, after the third recital of the meet cute. His mind kept drifting back to the photos and to the small garment in his front pants pocket. He was losing patience with this whole affair, he wanted to be alone with Aria. His occasional trips to the bar weren't helping, either.

"The way we immediately clicked, we could both feel that we were right, together." Aria was tiring of repeating the story, in their next conversation she vowed to bring up a livelier topic, like politics or religion. Adnan, one of the other poets, could see Ezra's attention was wandering. He thought it would be funny to put him on the spot.

"I don't know, is that how you remember it, Ezra?" Ezra snapped back to the conversation. Luckily, he could listen with half of his mind on something else. Unluckily, he could speak that way too.

"Yeah, other than being her teacher, we were perfect together." Everything stopped and the other people in the group started staring with mouths open between Ezra and Aria. Though taken aback, Aria recovered quickly. So much for not lying. Ezra was not sure what had happened, but Aria didn't give him the chance to figure it out. She started giggling and smacked Ezra's shoulder.

"Oh, he's kidding, right?" A woman named Lisa asked Aria. Aria shook her head but kept smiling as if the whole situation was delightful.

"No, no he's not. Great, Baby, you've scared these nice people, and made us look _scandalous_." Aria looked deeply into Ezra's eyes. His face shut down the second he realized what he said. He was terrified, but he couldn't let that show on his face. He was going to have to let Aria clean up his mess, his mind was a complete blank. "Ezra started teaching at Hollis at the beginning of spring semester, last year. We met just before that and on the first day of class, I turned out to be one of his students. It was a bit of a shock, I handled it better than he did. I had to beg my boss to let me change my work schedule around and then I had to go through the hassle of transferring into a different section. For two weeks, Ezra was my professor. I kind of thought it was hot, but as you can see, he carries the emotional scarring." Aria leaned in and gave Ezra a chaste kiss. The others started debating how they would handle being in a similar situation.

Ezra whispered to Aria, "I am so sorry, I'm an idiot and you are my guardian angel."

Ezra introduced her to all the people he'd been working with, except for one, and Ezra had been avoiding him all night. He was from the art department and he'd decided Ezra needed a best friend. He was a self-described hipster, a talented designer, and one of the most obnoxious people Ezra had ever met. Whenever Ezra came to Big Scrapple Publishing, he would walk right up and start talking as if they were already in the middle of a conversation. The worst part was that none of those conversations included an introduction. Ezra had no idea what the designer's name was and was too embarrassed to ask anyone.

When Ezra saw the designer heading toward them, he spun Aria toward himself and quickly laid out the situation for her. Aria was starting to get annoyed that there were plenty of stories Ezra could have been telling her about his time here. But she was going to deal with that later, much later. The guy reached them and slapped Ezra on the back as greeting.

"Bro, I've been trying to find you all night. This party blows and you're, like, the only person here worth talking to. I checked out that site that I was telling you about last week and I was really disappointed because I had been told that the graphics were pretty sick, but man, I could do that over a weekend without even breaking a sweat. So, don't waste your time. But while I was on the site…" his voice kept droning on and on. Aria stopped listening and looking up at Ezra, she was confident he had never started. She moved herself from beside Ezra to being in front of him. She was short enough that she wasn't in the way, but she was in a much better position to break into the flood of words.

"Hi, I'm Aria, Ezra's girlfriend." Aria offered her hand to shake and pull attention off of Ezra. The designer gave Aria barely a glance.

"Hey." With that he turned back to Ezra, but Aria stepped forward and back into his line of sight.

"And, you are?" Aria thought Ezra had been too generous in his description of this tool. The designer looked at her as if he didn't understand English. Aria simply stood quietly and kept her focus on him. Finally, he rolled his eyes.

"Brett." Aria found it strange that Brett's mouth spewed constant verbiage when he was talking to Ezra, but he became monosyllabic when forced to acknowledge her. He was already back to trying to draw Ezra into a conversation about some video game. Ezra hardly ever played video games. Aria turned to face Ezra and caught his eye.

"Brett? Oh! Right, Brett from the art department." Ezra smiled at her and gave her a brief nod. Thanks to Aria, he now knew Brett's name and he hadn't had to open his mouth, so far. Aria turned back to Brett, who looked thoroughly annoyed about being interrupted, again. "It's nice to meet you, Brett. Ezra's told me a lot about you." Ezra smirked, that was news to him.

"Cool." Ezra was about ready to lay into this moron. He was being exceedingly rude to Aria. Ezra had a long fuse, he could put up with a lot, but not if Aria was being mistreated. Aria felt Ezra tense and sensed him clenching his fist. He was so chivalrous, but she didn't want Ezra to damage his connections. Besides, she could handle this dipster.

"But he didn't tell me what a charmer you are. How many hours would it take you to say an entire sentence, if you and I were the only ones talking?" Aria kept her friendly expression and warm tone of voice the entire time. Brett seemed confused for a second, then directed a contemptuous expression at Aria.

"Whatever. Ezra, I'll catch ya later. Maybe next time we can actually have a conversation." Brett skulked away.

Ezra muttered, "Why start now?" Aria smiled, and Ezra wrapped his arms around her and held her like they were slow dancing. "Thank you. The way you squashed him at the end was masterful."

"Ali would have considered that a love tap. Are you sure he's a good artist?" Ezra nodded, and Aria scrunched up her face. "Then I guess that means he'll be keeping his job and I can't ever give him a proper Alison-style smackdown. It's a shame, he deserves one." Ezra pulled Aria closer and began rubbing his hands up and down her back. The thought of her verbally annihilating that dipshit was a real turn-on. Aria was usually too kind to go after anyone with her superior wit and humor, but Ezra found it incredibly hot when she did.

"Can we please leave, now? I don't want to talk to anybody but you. And I'm really looking for us to have more of a physical conversation." Aria licked her lips, thinking about how good Ezra was at conversing, physically.


	6. Fever All Through the Night

**A/N: For all of my U.S. readers, tomorrow you shall feast and give thanks. So today I offer something to build up your appetite and one more thing to be thankful for. For the rest of my wonderful readers, any day is a good day for smut, yes? I am using the song "Fever" and if you aren't familiar with it you should check out Peggy Lee Fever on YouTube. Her version was the first and is still the best. But, because Lucy Hale is a goddess and a force of nature, I found a video of her singing part of Fever on her old tv show Privileged, also on YouTube.**

* * *

Ezra and Aria didn't lose physical contact with each other at all between the car and 3B, not even when Tim called them back to grab Aria's forgotten purse. Naturally, Ezra assumed they would only increase that contact once in the privacy of his apartment. But as soon as he closed the front door, Aria wriggled away from him.

"Ez, I'm sorry, but I forgot to grab my bag out of my car. Would you please go get it?" Ezra couldn't process what Aria said, at first. She wanted him to leave?

"Now?" Ezra asked, once he pieced together that his banishment was temporary, brief even.

"Please, Babe? I'll need it when I wake up in the morning." Aria gave him her best sad puppy face. He took her pouting lip between his fingers and tugged, gently.

"Of course, Baby. But you better not fall asleep while I'm gone." Ezra walked out of the apartment only to come right back. "I need keys. Yours would work best." Aria giggled and handed him the keys.

Aria didn't need her bag, she practically had a second wardrobe and full toiletry set there all the time. But Aria had a surprise for Ezra and it required a little prep. Aria had no idea that Plan A would go so smoothly, so she had thought out a Plan B to make herself irresistible to Ezra. Even though she didn't need it, she was too excited to save it for another occasion. Aria locked the front door, hung up her wrap, and went to the dresser. She reached into her drawer and slipped into a pair of dark blue lace panties. The satin pair was still in Ezra's pocket. Next, she took out shiny, black, opera length gloves. She shoved the sofa closer to the television, slipping and falling twice in the attempt. She went into the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of sherry that they drank only rarely. She pulled out a sherry glass, filled it, and threw it back. Doing this made her a little nervous, even just with Ezra, so why not have a little liquid courage? She refilled the glass and set it next to the bottle on the small table between the kitchen and the living room. Finally, she freshened up her makeup in the bathroom and put the gloves on. She flipped on the balcony lights but left the rest of the apartment dark. She connected her phone to the sound system and cued up her track. She was ready, gulp.

When Ezra got back up to 3B he had no intention of telling Aria how difficult getting her bag had turned out to be. Between his fatigue, the scotch, and having to change gears so abruptly, Ezra's brain was not at its best. He couldn't get the key into the door-lock the first two times he tried. Once he did, he realized he could have pushed the button on the fob. He then searched for the bag in the front and back seat. Coming up empty-handed, he cursed and got annoyed that Aria sent him on a wild goose chase. He'd locked the car and gotten all the way to the steps of his building when it dawned on him that he hadn't checked the trunk. It was sitting there, plain as day. Now he just wanted to get back inside, but the door was locked. What the hell? He knocked, mood thoroughly ruined, in his mind.

The door swung open and Aria stepped up to him. "Good evening, Mr. Fitzgerald. We're so pleased you could join us. May I take your coat?" Aria stepped behind Ezra and pulled his jacket off his shoulders and hung it next to her wrap. She then led him the few steps to the table where she'd put the sherry.

"Regrettably, Mr. Luciano has been called away on an urgent matter, but he left this as a peace offering, and invites you to stay for the show." Aria sat Ezra down and motioned to the full glass. Ezra's eyes widened in excitement. Aria was doing film noir for him, and there was going to be a show? He slipped into character like marbles round a skirt's neck.

"What's a ritzy dame like you doing in this chip joint?"

"Just a canary, singing for my supper."

"Can I see you after the show?"

"Maybe, keep those peepers peeled."

Aria walked to the balcony doors and started the music. An instrumental arrangement of "Fever" began to play. Aria stood with her back to Ezra and bounced her hip in time to the bass. She turned slowly during the opening line, so she was backlit, adding to the noir feel of the scene.

 _Never know how much I love you_ _  
_ _Never know how much I care_ _  
_ _When you put your arms around me_ _  
_ _I get a fever that's so hard to bear_ _  
_ _You give me fever when you kiss me_ _  
_ _Fever when you hold me tight_ _  
_ _Fever in the morning_ _  
_ _Fever all through the night_ _  
_

Aria's voice was low and sultry. She shimmied and bounced. She smiled seductively at Ezra and exaggerated her lip movements as she sang.

 _Sun lights up the daytime_ _  
_ _Moon lights up the night_ _  
_ _I light up when you call my name_ _  
_ _And you know I'm going to treat you right_ _  
_ _You give me fever when you kiss me_ _  
_ _Fever when you hold me tight_ _  
_ _Fever in the morning_ _  
_ _Fever all through the night_ _  
_

Aria approached Ezra and turned her back and perched lightly on his lap. Ezra immediately began caressing her through her dress. Between the verse and the bridge Aria leaned back and spoke softly to Ezra. "Be a sport and help me out of my glad rags?" Aria slid forward, and Ezra ran his hand down Aria's back, but then pulled the zipper down with his teeth. Aria twisted to get an eyeful of Ezra and put her face within a centimeter of his.

"Nice trick you got there. Wanna see mine?" Aria whispered against his lips. She swiveled and stood in one motion. Gravity eased Aria's dress to the floor and she stepped out of it like she didn't know it was there.

 _Everybody's got the fever_ _  
_ _That is something you all know_ _  
_ _Fever isn't such a new thing_ _  
_ _Fever started long ago_ _  
_

Aria slowly revolved, allowing Ezra a 360* view of her body. Ezra reacted by groaning and shifting in his chair. The next verse was special for the couple. Star-crossed seemed an accurate description of their relationship, and love-at-first-sight certainly applied to them.

 _Romeo loved Juliet_ _  
_ _Juliet she felt the same_ _  
_ _When he put his arms around her he said_ _  
_ _Julie Baby, you're my flame_ _  
_ _Thou giveth fever_ _  
_ _When we kisseth_ _  
_ _Fever with thy flaming youth_ _  
_ _Fever, I'm afire_ _  
_ _Fever, yeah I burn, forsooth_ _  
_

Aria gently caressed her own skin, up and down. She floated her hands over her breasts, black gloves gliding over deep blue satin. As the final verse began, Aria made her way back to Ezra and arched backward so the back of her hair was at his eye-level. He brought both of his hands up to carefully release the twist. Aria's hair tumbled down her back and Ezra buried his nose in it and breathed in deeply. Aria stood-up straight and sashayed over to the French doors one last time.

 _Now you've listened to my story_ _  
_ _Here's the point that I have made_ _  
_ _Find the one to give you fever_ _  
_ _Be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade_ _  
_ _They give you fever when you kiss them_ _  
_ _Fever, if you live you learn_ _  
_ _Fever till you sizzle_ _  
_ _What a lovely way to burn_ _  
_ _What a lovely way to burn_ _  
_ _What a lovely way to burn_ _  
_ _What a lovely way to burn_

Aria turned to face the balcony as the song died away and brought one hand high overhead, while the other slid down and caught Aria's arm just above her elbow and remained bent across her head in a final pose.

Ezra applauded and whistled. It was 1 o'clock in the morning, but things like time and neighbors didn't exist in Aria and Ezra's private world. Aria slunk across the room and put her foot on Ezra's chair in between his legs. She nuzzled his crotch and Ezra sighed at the contact. "Help a girl out? My dogs are barking," Aria whispered huskily. Ezra's eyes sparkled with love. Not only was Aria incredibly sexy, she knew just how to turn him on, and always found a way to be new and creative with that knowledge. Ezra took his time unbuckling the straps, massaging her calf and caressing her ankle. He slid the shoe off and dropped it beside the chair. He thought about bringing her foot up to kiss it, he knew she was more than flexible enough, but her balance wasn't all that steady in only 1 stiletto.

Ezra opted for wrapping his arm around her hip and pulling her down onto his knee. He then kissed the top of her foot and laid it across his lap, so he could remove the other shoe. When he kissed her other foot, he kept kissing up her stockinged leg. "You've got gams to make a good dog break his leash," Ezra muttered in between kisses. Aria giggled and squirmed, it tickled. Her squirming rubbed against his cock and made Ezra lose his concentration. He dropped her leg and groaned loudly. He loved this game, but his restraint was fading.

Aria stood up long enough to turn and sit back down, straddling Ezra's lap. She couldn't resist teasing him a little bit more. Ezra tried to kiss her, but she dodged him. He tried again, but she turned her head. Ezra growled deep in his throat and dropped his head to her neck. He would never force her to kiss him, or anything else, but he expressed his frustration by vigorously sucking on her creamy skin and nipping none too lightly. The mixture of pain and pleasure sent Aria soaring. The marks that Ezra was surely leaving were totally worth it. She looked at the table and saw that Ezra hadn't touched the drink she'd poured.

"What's the matter, Honey? Giggle juice not tickling your fancy?"

Ezra looked up and stared directly into her eyes. His eyes held complete sincerity. "I'm already totally dizzy with you, Doll. I need you. Like a poet needs words, like a bird needs the sky, I need you." Aria trembled, she loved him so much. She leaned her forehead against his.

"So, what are you gonna do about it?" She flicked her tongue against his lips.

Ezra stood, still holding Aria, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Ezra took Aria to the bed and practically threw her onto it. Aria squealed, but when Ezra tried to get on the bed, she placed her foot against his abdomen and shook her head. "Oh no, Mr. Fitzgerald. Equal footing, please."

Ezra took her meaning and tore off his shirt and tie. He kicked off his shoes and undid his belt and pants. Once they dropped he pulled them and his socks off. He was about to join Aria, when he said to himself, _Screw equal footing_ , and pulled off his boxer briefs as well. He needed all of his skin touching her. He wanted to use every last bit of his patience on undressing her, before ravishing her exquisite body. He climbed onto the foot of the bed and grabbed Aria's leg. He brought her foot up and kissed it, slowly. He repeated his earlier actions, only this time he had the room to keep kissing above her knee. He took a path that led him up her inner thigh. He unhooked her stocking from the garters and rolled the stocking down enough that he could kiss, lick, and suck on her supple, silky skin.

Aria threw her head back into the pillows and began lightly panting. She silently begged for Ezra to take her throbbing pussy into his mouth that way. It became almost a prayer to some unknown deity of sex and lust. She wanted more, more.

Ezra almost came apart when the fragrance of Aria's heat reached him. But she had teased him, mercilessly, throughout the night. He was absolutely going to return the favor. He stopped his progress and sat back up. Aria whined from the disappointment. He slid the first stocking down her leg and removed it. He then picked up her other foot and made the same journey toward Aria's honeypot. When he began to suck on the creamy flesh previously hidden by her stocking, Aria tried to grab Ezra to pull him into her, but this just made him stop kissing her thigh. He calmly sat up and began removing the second stocking. Aria's begging was no longer silent.

"Ezra, please! Baby, I need you so bad. This wait is excruciating. Plllleeeaaase!" Ezra gave her a teasing smile. He then climbed on top of Aria and his face hovered inches above her.

"I waited while you sent me mind-scrambling, erection inducing texts and pictures throughout the night. I waited while I got your bag out of the car. I waited while you sang the sexiest fucking song known to man, in your honey-sweet voice. Are you saying you can't wait long enough for me to properly undress you?" Aria licked her lips staring at how close Ezra's mouth was to her own. But when she tried to close the distance, he dodged her, of course. She cried out in frustration and Ezra chuckled. _'Finally,'_ Ezra thought, now it was Aria who was feeling horny and impatient.

Aria groaned as she realized that Ezra's deep laugh, though at her expense, was only turning her on more. Ezra was still waiting for her response. Aria threw her cards on the table. "I'll give you whichever answer gets you to fuck me sooner."

That broke Ezra, few things drove him crazier than dirty words coming out of Aria's sweet mouth. He brought her up to him and devoured her lips holding her face firmly against his while he rolled over, putting her on top. Their tongues danced, the choreography was both well-rehearsed and completely instinctual. Neither Ezra nor Aria could explain how their bodies were so well-tuned to each other's. It felt as if they had been designed to come together, passionately. Ezra ran his hands all over Aria, savoring the feeling of the perfect skin that had been covered and away from his touch the whole night.

Aria was savoring the feeling, as well. Ezra's hands were strong and sure. When he touched her body, she felt like a musical instrument in the hands of a master. He knew just how to play her. Aria reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. She pulled it off and tossed it aside, revealing her breasts to her adoring boyfriend.

"My beautiful baby," Ezra whispered and pressed his hands to her chest. He massaged both breasts and Aria gripped his wrists to show him she wanted him to keep going. He loved to play with her breasts just as much as she loved having them played with. He rolled her small rosy nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, pulling softly at first, then harder as Aria started moaning his name. Ezra sat them up and drew one of her nipples into his mouth and swirled his tongue around the hard bud. Aria's breathing quickened, and her voice grew louder.

"Yes, yes, oh…oh Ezra, yes, yes! Baby, I need you, please. I need you right now!" Aria suited her words by throwing herself onto the bed next to Ezra. She yanked the rest of her lingerie off and reached for Ezra, who happily put himself over her. He ran his hand forcefully down her body and cupped her sex. She shivered beneath him as he inserted 2 fingers into her core to check that she was ready. She was so wet for him, he groaned with excitement. He put his fingers in his mouth and sucked off her sweetness. He remembered their interlude in the bathroom and shivered. He wanted to plunge balls deep into her, but decided he should hold back. Instead he guided his cock to her opening and moved into Aria very slowly.

His progress was so slow it was agonizing for Aria. Her walls clenched, desperate for something to grip onto. A tingling that began in her aching pussy spread throughout her until she felt like her entire body had been dunked into ice water. It was awful, it was incredible. Aria was freezing, she was vibrating and shattering the ice.

Ezra felt Aria shivering and saw her face was filled with tension and amazement. His slow movement felt to him like he was easing himself into molten fire. It lasted an eternity but took only moments. When Ezra was fully sheathed in Aria's body they both felt the completeness, the wholeness that only existed when they came together intimately. Before Ezra could begin thrusting, Aria started rolling her hips in various ways. She tightened and released her vaginal muscles rhythmically, clenching around the base of Ezra's shaft repeatedly. He gazed down at her. She had her eyes closed and her lower lip was held tightly between her teeth. She seemed to be concentrating fully on massaging, squeezing, and gliding around his cock. He'd never felt anything like it. He was holding onto self-control by the slimmest of margins. He knew if it didn't stop, or at least change, soon, that he would have to cum. The problem was he couldn't drag himself away. How do you tell perfection to stop? How do you remove yourself from paradise, willingly? If Ezra was told this was heaven, he would start attending church every Sunday to make himself worthy of returning.

He simply couldn't pull back from this, so instead, he pushed forward. Aria's eyes flew open and she gasped as Ezra stretched her, burying himself deeper than she had thought possible. She'd put her all into rolling herself around and around Ezra's cock. It felt astounding and the sounds Ezra made told her he was beyond thrilled with her experiment. She even thought his whispers had been a prayer. Now it was she who hung at the edge of ecstasy. Ezra finally pulled back, but he was less than halfway out when he slammed himself into her again. She tumbled into space and her orgasm felt almost violent, it was so intense. Ezra started fully thrusting and Aria's orgasm stretched and stretched like her body. It rolled and rolled like her hips, her orgasm made her inner walls clench more tightly than she would ever be able to purposefully. Ezra's eyes rolled back into his head and he came spectacularly and just in time. As Aria's orgasm finally ended, it took with it every last bit of energy. Aria breathed in and out and then knew no more. It was not lost on Ezra that he had fucked his girlfriend into unconsciousness. He did, however, underestimate the effect on him. He didn't anticipate how hard he would crash. He had only a moment after he realized his vision was tunneling. He slid himself down Aria's body putting as much weight on the mattress as he could before collapsing. Ezra's head rested on Aria's abdomen, his arms still braced on either side of her.

* * *

 **This is not the end, of course. Till next time…xoxo and blessings to all.**


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